DO NOT HATCH CHICKS IN AN INCUBATOR. IS IT WORTH HELPING CHICKS TO HATCH

Hatching chicks may not always be done by the hen. Incubators, which are produced on modern equipment, are designed to simplify and speed up the incubation process, and the wide choice and quality of models can ensure success in this endeavor. But, unfortunately, the hatching process is often delayed and complicated or does not occur at all, and there are a lot of reasons for this. These reasons will be discussed further.

How does hatching happen

Normal development and the formation of a chick ends with the hatching process, which is preceded by the following signs:

a barely noticeable knock inside, meaning that the chicken begins to pierce the shell;
weak chick squeak, indicating the full development of the chicken;
rocking the egg on a flat surface, which is facilitated by the movement of the chick inside.

Did you know? At the beginning of the 19th century, a hen appeared in the British city of Leeds, laying eggs with an inscription foreshadowing the second coming of Christ. The news of this quickly spread through the whole district, scaring many people. Later it turned out that the hostess of the hen was corroding the words on the eggs with acid, and then thrust them back into the oviduct.

The hatching process is divided into several stages:

On the shell you can see only a small crack, but if you bring the egg to your ear, you will clearly hear that the chicken scrapes an egg tooth (which, in the first hours after it is born, falls away) and the claws of its paws.
The crack grows and a small hole is formed in the shell from which the chicken's beak peeps out.
The crack encircles the entire circumference in the center, which subsequently leads to a fracture of the shell and the emergence of the chick into the light.
The chick is completely separated by the umbilical cord from the shell.

Take a closer look at the hatchery stages of the incubator.

Hatching can take from several hours to one day, which is the norm. Intervention in this process is required only in exceptional cases, which will be discussed below.

When should chicks hatch

The formation of a chicken in natural conditions accounts for 3 weeks (or 21 days). The whole process of development is divided into periods:

1-7 days - the circulatory system and the internal organs of the embryo are formed;
8-14 days - bone tissue and beak is formed;
14-18 days - in the chick there is a motor activity and the ability to make sounds;
19-21 days - the completion of the formation of internal organs and the nervous system.

In order for healthy chickens to hatch out of the incubator, it is worth knowing what the humidity and temperature should be in the incubator, as well as how to properly lay the eggs in the “artificial hen”.

Incubator due to malfunctions, improper care or violation of the temperature regime, the term of ripening and hatching can be reduced or increased by 1-3 days.Chick development by days In such cases, chicks are born not at the appointed time, but this does not always indicate the presence of defects in development and does not affect their future viability.

Important! 23 days - the last deadline for hatching healthy chickens.

Why don't chicks hatch in an incubator

The incubator is designed to provide the maximum level of chick birth, but it often happens that the hatching occurs from only a small number of eggs or the clutch is completely unviable. The following reasons may lead to this result:

unfertilized eggs are placed in the incubator. To prevent such an outcome, before laying all the eggs must be shine through to determine the presence of the embryo. An ordinary lamp may be suitable for this purpose;
improper preparation of eggs before laying. Before putting the eggs into the incubator, warm up for at least 8 hours at room temperature. It is necessary that when placed in the masonry does not form condensate, clogging the pores in the shell (can lead to the death of the embryo);
deformed, damaged or too dirty eggs are placed in the clutch, which subsequently leads to the development of fungi and bacteria under the shell;

improper air circulation in the incubator and the absence of short-term airing leads to the death of embryos;
violation of the temperature regime at different stages of development also leads to irreversible consequences (death);
poor quality care. For example, the lack of turning eggs, which is necessary for their uniform heating from all sides, also adversely affects the development of embryos.

Proper preparation of fertilized eggs, proper air circulation and adherence to temperature conditions lead to maximum hatching rates of chicks. Provide them easy and even a novice breeder.

Check out the characteristics of the best egg incubators.

Why chicks hatch badly

Sometimes even when all the necessary conditions are met, it happens that the chicken is fully formed, but no hatching occurs. This may indicate that the chick is too weak and does not have the strength to hatch (or hatch, but then dies). This is natural selection in action. Also, the egg shell may be too thick, because of which it can not get through.

Do I need to help the chick hatch

In some cases, breeders try to take the initiative and accelerate the release of the chick from the shell. Doing this is strictly prohibited. The fact is that the chick, to the last, is connected with its blood vessels to the walls of the albumin sac, and damage to the circulatory system in the course of “help” will lead to blood loss or even to the death of the baby.

Find out what to do if a chicken cannot hatch on its own.

The egg provides the chicken with nutrients for the entire period of birth, no matter how long it is. Only rarely does breeders need to intervene in the hatching process:

the eggshell in the incubator is prone to drying out and excessive strength - in this case, the humidity in the incubator must be increased from 19 days, moistening the shells from the spray gun with warm water. Such actions will help reduce its strength and simplify and speed up hatching;
weak chick - help in this case is a slight increase in the hole in the shell.

Important! Hatching should occur naturally and any intervention from the side causes more harm than good.

Breeding chickens in an incubator environment requires compliance with certain rules, but even this does not always lead to absolute success. The main causes of defective hatching are non-compliance with the incubation conditions, non-viability of the chick and nutritional deficiencies, with the result that the weak chick is unable to hatch on its own. The desire of breeders to facilitate the process of hatching in such cases can lead to irreversible consequences.